Total Benefits

LEOFF 2 retirement plan

Available to commissioned UW police officers, the Law Enforcement Officers’ and Fire Fighters’ (LEOFF) 2 retirement plan is a traditional, defined-benefit pension plan — when you meet plan requirements and retire, you’re guaranteed a monthly income benefit for the rest of your life.

Both you and the UW contribute money to LEOFF 2. However, these contributions don’t determine your retirement benefit. Instead, the income you receive from LEOFF 2 during retirement depends on both your salary and your years of service while a member of LEOFF 2.

Enroll in LEOFF 2

Only full-time commissioned UW police officers are eligible to participate in LEOFF 2. Participation is a condition of employment and you will be automatically enrolled in the plan if you are eligible.

What you contribute

Each paycheck, you contribute 8.75 percent of your gross salary to LEOFF 2.

The UW also contributes to LEOFF 2 on your behalf. These aren’t matching funds, and you have no access to them. The rates at which both you and UW contribute are specified by the state legislature. They periodically adjust the rates to reflect the overall cost of the plan.

While these contributions help fund LEOFF 2, they do not determine how much income you receive at retirement. Use the LEOFF 2 formula to calculate your monthly retirement benefit.

Your retirement benefit

At retirement, the income you receive from LEOFF 2 depends on two factors — how long you’ve worked and how much money you made. The formula for calculating your monthly retirement benefit is:

2% x service credit years x final average salary

Final Average Salary: The monthly average of your 60 consecutive highest-paid service credit months.

Service credit: Service credit is based on the number of hours you work each month and how long you have participated in the retirement plan. The UW reports your hours and earnings to the Washington state Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) every payday.

You’re vested in the plan when you have five years of service credit. And once you’re vested, you’re eligible to retire with a full benefit at age 53. You can retire with a reduced benefit as early as age 50 if you have at least 20 service credit years.